Leningrad group. New women of Sergei Shnurov: first interview with Vasilisa and Florida The first vocalist of Leningrad

The group first met on January 13, 1997. The musicians' original intention was to "play at each other's birthday parties."

Over the five years of its existence, “Leningrad” managed to explode the musical format with its furious fun. Without any visible effort, having created a cult status for themselves, the group led by Sergei Shnurov simultaneously pulled folk-punk from clubs to the largest music venues. The albums “Bullet”, “Checkmate without Electricity” and “Dachniki” have already entered the history of Russian rock. Crazy and often cynical songs, the dirtiest sound of a surf guitar mixed with a drunken brass band, nevertheless found an incredible number of fans. Social absurdity and shameless kitsch, multiplied by the sparkling energy of presentation, turned out to be exactly the potion/balm that Russian show business and consumers of its products needed. But even being drawn into this system to a certain extent, Leningrad continues to remain an informal group, and Shnur does not hesitate to spit on restrictions and openly expresses his views on life.

With an almost complete blockade of the songs of the Leningrad group on the part of radio and TV due to the abundance of profanity in the lyrics of the group’s songs, a deliberately careless attitude towards the powerful of the music world and the denial of all laws of show business development, by mid-2002 the group occupied all the official and official positions. unofficial charts and was treated kindly by all kinds of Russian music awards. The leader of this notorious group, Sergei Shnurov, has turned into media favorite No. 1 and is increasingly looking like a folk hero, and the Leningrad group itself has been dubbed one of the most important phenomena of modern culture.

The album “Pirates of the 21st Century,” released on the S.B.A./Gala records label in the spring of 2002, took the group to a fundamentally new level, turning Shnurov and company into megastars of Russian rock music. This album has everything we love about the band. Drive and irony, love and hate, jazz and hard rock, the album is literally filled with both already familiar and potential hits. Fun and without straining, “Leningrad” is still able to rip off - here this expression has only a positive meaning - any music that comes to hand. The track listing of the album includes both the ancient rock and roll hit C"mon everybody and the soundtrack "The Hound of the Baskervilles". The album includes the mega-hit concert action films WWW (by the way, this song took 1st place in the final hit parade “Chart Dozen” on “Our Radio” for 2002), “Motorcycle”, “I have everything” (a.k.a. “Full Pockets”) and the brooding hit “Up in the Air” when recording the album, she joined “Leningrad”. St. Petersburg band Spitfire, providing the album with a richness of sound and very unexpected turns.

The new studio album “Tochka” by the Leningrad group was released at the end of November on the S.B.A./Gala Records label. Preparations for the release were carried out in strict secrecy, and the company did not disseminate any information about the album until the day of release. After the release of the album “Pirates of the 21st Century,” the legendary band announced they were going on an indefinite sabbatical, and meanwhile new material was being prepared.

Studio work took place in St. Petersburg. Most likely, “Tochka” will truly become the last Leningrad album recorded with the usual line-up. In the future, team leader Sergei Shnurov will probably record with the musicians of the band Spitfire, who also take part in his concert performances.

“Tochka” contains ten new songs and three bonus tracks. Among the things included in the album are Shnur’s collaboration with “Disco Accident” “Where are your hands” and the composition Money, the cross-cutting musical theme of the series “Money”, which was broadcast on one of the Russian TV channels in the fall of 2002.

The work on the video Money was undertaken by the same team that created the infamous video WWW, the main characters of which were Sergei Shnurov and V.V. Putin. In the summer of 2002, this video firmly established itself on the Internet and only then, at the persuasive requests of TV channels, it was formatted for TV, where it migrated. The video Money, like WWW, is made in flash technology. Among the characters in the new Leningrad video are the richest people in Russia. This time, the now disgraced Shnurov will be accompanied by prominent Russian oligarchs and some odious public figures.

The group officially announced its dissolution on December 25, 2008, due to the departure of Shnurov, who announced the creation of his new group called “Ruble”.

Current lineup:
Sergey Shnurov, Shnur music, lyrics
Vyacheslav Antonov, Sevych backing vocals, maracas
Alexander Popov, Puzo bass drum, vocals
Andrey Antonenko, Antonenich tuba, arrangements
Grigory Zontov, Umbrella saxophone
Roman Parygin, Shukher trumpet
Denis Kuptsov, Kashchei drums
Andrey Kuraev, Grandfather bass
Ilya Rogachevsky, Pianist keys
Konstantin Limonov, Limon guitar
Vladislav Alexandrov, Valdik trombone
Alexey Kanev, Lekha saxophone
Yulia Kogan legs
Denis Mozhin sound engineer

Vasilisa Starshova (22), who replaced Alisa Vox (30) last year, announced yesterday that she was leaving "" - she did not even perform at the anniversary concert on July 13. Her partner Florida Chanturia (27) competed alone. On this occasion, we remember all the girls of the group.

Yulia Kogan (2007-2012)

That same red-haired beast, Yulia (36) came to Leningrad in 2007 as a backing vocalist and performed with (44) and Co. for two years - until the group broke up due to creative differences. Leningrad did not give concerts and did not record songs. Then Julia joined the team of the St. Petersburg group St. Petersburg Ska-Jazz Review. And in 2011, “Leningrad” got together again, and Yulia again came to Shnur.

Together they released the album “Henna”, and after that Julia left forever - she had to leave the project due to pregnancy. At the beginning of 2013, the singer gave birth to a daughter, Lisa, from photographer Anton But.

Alisa Vox (2012-2016)

Alisa came to Leningrad to replace Kogan - the blonde easily passed the audition, her voice was amazing. The singer's popularity was brought to her by the scandalous song "Exhibit" (the one about Louboutins). But soon after the release of the track and video, Vox left the team. Alisa said that she left voluntarily and on her own, but sources claimed: Shnurov could no longer tolerate the behavior of the “starred” Vox and kicked her out of the group. And just a day after Alice left, he wrote on Instagram: “I didn’t promise anything to anyone. At my own whim, I turn average singers into stars. I come up with an image, material, and promote it. The Heroines of the myth, invented by me and created by the team, quite quickly and naively begin to believe in their Divine nature. But we don’t know how to deal with Goddesses. We’re burning pots here.”

After Leningrad, Vox launched, which the audience did not like. After the release of Alisa’s debut video for the song “Hold”, Shnur said, “He kicked me out correctly,” and recently Vox released a video for the song “Baby” (yes, this is where “the mistakes on the poster are four in a nutshell” and “learn from mistakes It’s never too late, if your heart wants change, then start with yourself”). They say (and not without reason) that the song and video are an order from the Kremlin. And the price was even announced - 35 thousand dollars. The video has more dislikes than likes, and Vox’s reputation cannot be restored.

Vasilisa Starshova (2016 – 2017)

Vasilisa replaced Alisa - fans of the group saw her for the first time at a concert on March 24, 2017. Then Shnur said: “Everyone asks me - where is Alice? In my opinion, this is a stupid question, since it is obvious that she is not here. But we will answer with a song.” And the group sang a very obscene song with a general message: “go to hell.” Starshova did not stay in Leningrad for long and yesterday announced her departure on Instagram. “Guys, you’re healthy! Things are like this. Yes, I no longer sing in Leningrad. “I’m doing well, I’m happy, healthy, not tired, I have plenty of strength and energy.” So we expect solo work from Vasilisa!

Florida Chanturia (2016 – present)

Florida got into the group along with Vasilisa. She graduated from the University of Culture and Arts with a degree in pop-jazz vocals and after that she went to work as a singer in karaoke bars. One day, an acquaintance of hers called the girl and said that he had given the number to the guys from Leningrad. They called and invited her to audition. Florida, by the way, is her real name!

Scandal, sincerity, shockingness, joy and the Leningrad group - all these are links in one chain. for a long time provided work for lawyers who were handling lawsuits in batches about the use of profanity in songs. Fans are tearing apart these poems for quotes. The prediction about the imminent decline of the group did not come true - stadiums of many thousands gather for concerts. Clips of “Leningraders” are discussed even within the walls of government institutions.

History and composition

There is no clarity on the date of formation of “Leningrad” - either January 9 or January 13, 1997. The first number is the day when Shnurov and Igor Vdovin decided to create a new project, the second is the day of the first concert. It turns out that in 4 days the friends managed to play with keyboardist Andrei Antonenko, drummer Alexander Popov, drummer Alexei Kalinin and saxophonist Roman Fokin. Ilya Ivashov and Oleg Sokolov played trumpets.

Shnur himself doesn’t remember the members’ names; he says the group is a folk group and grew on its own. In 1998, Vdovin left, and Sergei and Popov tried to replace him. As a result, the leading role of the vocalist remained with Sergei. Over the 20 years of life on stage, at least two dozen people passed through the Leningrad school. There were also such colorful personalities as. At one time, the group tried to repeat the experience, touring simultaneously in several cities with different lineups.

The first promoter was the main “auctionist”. Fame came quickly: who else would dare to swear on stage, look like and not be embarrassed by being drunk. The “Leningraders” were barred from entering the capital; the group’s creativity horrified the mayor, who did not see anything bright and positive in it.

Despite the success, some musicians were tired of this style of existence, and conflicts began within the team. Leningrad switched mostly to studio work.

In 2002, a new page opened in the group’s biography. The renewed Shnurov released songs that formed the basis of his solo album and the eighth studio album of Leningrad - “For Millions”. A new lineup began to appear on the stage; some of the “old guys” went to the “Spitfire” team, which helped record albums and accompanied them at concerts.

Soon, women appeared as participants in Leningrad, first as backing vocalists. She became the first full-fledged soloist. According to Shnurov, the team parted ways with her due to creative differences. The girl came to replace her and sang the songs “Bag”, “I Cry and Cry”. The highlight of the soloist’s participation in the group was the unforgettable “Exhibit” (“Louboutins”). This time, the frontman explained the singer's departure by saying that "

In 2002, the album “Pirates of the 21st Century” released two hits that became the calling card of the St. Petersburg team - “Up in the Air” and “WWW”. At this time, a concert took place, called the last by the group leader. The program of the performance spoke for itself: “Without you, p***”, “Sp***y”, “Fag***s”.

The volume of profanity began to decrease with the albums “Bread” and “Indian Summer”. In addition, the girl began to solo, and even the most loyal fans would not have liked the abuse from her lips. In the summer of 2004, the song “Gelendzhik” resounded along the Black Sea coast of Russia, and in 2008 Shnurov once again announced the breakup of the group.

The “Sweet Dream” video marked the official revival of “Leningrad”. The male version performed by Vsevolod Antonov was called “Bitter Dream”. From that moment on, the “Leningraders” were called not a group, but a group.

In 2011, two albums were released at once - “Henna” and “Eternal Flame”. The song “Loves Our People” hit the charts. In 2012, it was the turn of the hit “Fish of My Dreams.” The reason for writing the song was an Internet meme in which fisherman Viktor Goncharenko shouts “Ide!”

October was marked by "The Candidate". The song was written by Shnurov, and performed by bandmate Adolfych, aka Puzo, and in the world - drummer and bass guitarist Alexander Popov. The only thing that fans didn’t like in the video was the scene with the killing of the cat, although the video was preceded by the phrase that “not a single animal was harmed.” The Leningrad frontman commented on his personal Instagram account that even if these shots hurt anyone, then faith in humanity remains.

Already in November of the same year, the group presented their next creation - a video for the song “Voyage”. The shooting of the video was again entrusted to , which received the UK Music Video Awards for “Kolshchik”. According to tradition, “Leningrad” collected everything that is not welcome on television - tobacco smoking, scenes of violence, flavored with profanity.

In 2018, Sergei gave himself and his fans a birthday present - he released an album with the laconic title “Everything.” And he explained why:

“This word is very Russian, multifaceted, if you like, comprehensive and insignificant at the same time. And the masters of short reviews, with which the Internet is teeming, will definitely write “g***”.

The album includes 8 compositions that were previously performed at concerts, but received studio treatment for the first time. In the video for the song “Role”, popularly nicknamed “Not Alena”, in addition to staged shots, clips from Internet videos depicting drunk women are used. The album will not be released on discs or records - it is available only through Yandex.Music, iTunes and the official channel on Youtube.

An animated video for the track “Zhu-zhu” soon appeared on this channel, in which she took part. In it, the performers ridiculed their fellow citizens who were always dissatisfied with something. Shnurov and Ionova became the prototypes of the main characters, the cat was copied from Sergei’s pet, and the credits included a Chinese folk song performed by students from the Middle Kingdom.

Clips

• "Monkey and Eagle"
• "Vacation pay"
• "HLS"
• "Khimki Forest"
• "Karasik"
• "Exhibit"
• "Drinking in St. Petersburg"
• "Kolshchik"
• "Zhu-zhu"
• "Not Paris"

Discography

• 1999 – “Bullet”
• 2000 – “New Year”
• 2002 – “Point”
• 2003 – “For Millions”
• 2006 – “Indian Summer”
• 2010 – “The last concert of Leningrad”
• 2011 – “Henna”
• 2012 – “Fish”
• 2014 – “Minced meat”
• 2013 – “Tsunami”
• 2018 – “Everything”

Fans of the Leningrad group are getting used to the new lineup - in the summer, the bright and lively Vasilisa Starshova left the team. And this is in the midst of a huge 20th anniversary tour. First she said she was sick, and then she admitted on Instagram:

“Yes, I no longer sing in Leningrad. I’m doing well, I’m happy, healthy, not tired, I have plenty of strength and energy. Thank you everyone for your kind words, excitement and support. Well, in the near future... wait for it.”

Vasilisa did not explain the reason for her departure. But now, with all his posts on Instagram, he is trying to prove to fans that life does not stop after Leningrad.

Shnurov also remained silent for a long time, but when fans on social networks bombarded him with questions “Where is Vasya?”, he replied that the girl was tired.

Who will understand the motives of women? I’m probably tired,” Sergei wrote.

It’s a pity,” the fans lamented.

Regretting about the past is the most unproductive activity,” Shnurov put an end to the conversation.

Now Florida Chanturia is responsible for the female component of the group. Shnurov took her to Leningrad along with Vasilisa.

In the group's latest video for the song "CHPH" Florida played the main role. However, many Leningrad fans believe that she is far from Vasilisa’s charisma:

“Without your energy, without your youthful enthusiasm and without your voice, the sound of the Leningrad group is rather poor.” “Florida is boring. She has no fire! Squeezed! And somehow too distant!”

So why are the Leningrad soloists fleeing the group? Let us remind you that the first girl in the team was red-haired Yulia Kogan. She joined the team in 2007 as a backing vocalist, but a year later the project disbanded. In 2010, Leningrad was revived, and Kogan was taken to the team as a soloist. Julia performed until the fall of 2012, and then went on maternity leave. In 2013, Kogan finally left the team.

At first, Julia’s departure was explained by the birth of her daughter. But later it turned out that Shnurov and Kogan stopped getting along with each other and the leader of Leningrad showed the girl the door.

A year later, Julia took up a solo career, released an album, and became a TV presenter. Now Kogan’s popularity rating is far from the time she worked with Shnurov. She still tours, but no longer attracts stadiums like before. And on Kogan’s posters there is always a note “ex-vocalist of the Leningrad group.”

In November 2012, new backing vocalist Alisa Vox starred in the video “Gulf of Finland” along with Kogan, who later took Yulia’s place.

Vox lasted in Leningrad for three years. During this time, she sang such hits as “37th”, “Prayer”, “Bag” and, of course, the legendary “Exhibit”, the video for which blew up the Internet. But suddenly, at the peak of her popularity, Alice leaves the team.

“I decided to leave the Leningrad group and am launching my solo project! - she announced on Instagram. “Working with Sergei Shnurov gave me a huge experience of stage life, I am eternally grateful to him for the opportunity to develop and improve.”

In a year and a half of solo sailing, Alisa released a solo album and shot several videos, none of which reached 500 thousand views.

Shnurov explained Alisa Vox's departure from Leningrad simply: she became a star.

“At my own whim, I turn average singers into stars,” he wrote on Instagram. - I come up with an image, material, and promote it. I decide how to present them so that they will be loved. Well, not exactly theirs, the image, of course... The audience loves the image we created and really don’t want the end. But it is inevitable. The Heroines of the myth, invented by me and created by the team, quite quickly and naively begin to believe in their own Divine nature. But we don’t know how to deal with Goddesses. We are burning pots here..."

Photo Sergey Nikolaev

Nor did Sergei’s husband have any special love for Alice. Once Vox posted a photo from the Sobaka.ru magazine awards, where she was invited as a presenter. The girl thanked the publication for a good evening and received a scolding from Matilda Shnurova in the comments. The rocker's wife accused the singer of ingratitude.

“Alice, it’s surprising that there was no thank you either for the Ice Palace, where 12 thousand spectators watched you, or for the sold-out Moscow concerts. Most of your subscribers here are fans of the Leningrad group.”

By the way, many fans believe that Matilda plays an important role in the fate of the group’s soloists. Not long ago, Sergei posted a joint photo of his wife and Florida on Instagram. And judging by it, the current soloist of “Leningrad” has no problems with the boss’s wife yet.

However, Florida does not seem to need to relax.

When can we expect a new female representative as a soloist? - they asked Sergei on Instagram.

Always,” answered Shnurov. - There are about 5 billion women in the world. We need to see everyone.

No one from the Leningrad group leaves on their own! - Shnurov’s friend, as well as a former Leningrad participant, Stas Baretsky, said in an interview with World of News. - The soloists messed up and were removed from the team. But they pretended to leave on their own with their heads held high.

Our heroine today is former Leningrad soloist Alisa Vox. The article provides details of her biography, career and personal life. We will also talk about who became the new soloist of Sergei Shnurov’s group.

Alice Vox: biography, childhood

She was born in St. Petersburg in 1987, June 30. Her real name is Kondratieva, and Vox is just a pseudonym.

From an early age, our heroine showed creative abilities. The little girl climbed onto a stool and began to sing, dance and make faces. At that moment she imagined herself as a pop star.

Mom wanted Alice to receive a choreographic education. Therefore, at the age of 4, she enrolled her daughter in the ballet studio at the Palace of Culture named after. Lensovet. However, the girl visited this institution for only one year. She didn't turn out to be a ballerina. After some time, Alice's parents took her to the children's studio of the Music Hall. During choir classes, local teachers discovered that our heroine had a good voice and an ideal sense of rhythm.

Due to poor performance in secondary school, Alice was taken from the Music Hall. But the girl was not upset. She regularly attended music clubs. The future singer also studied dance sports and vocals.

Education

After finishing 11th grade, Alisa went to Moscow, where she entered GITIS on her first try. Her choice fell on the pop department. A tiny scholarship and financial assistance from her parents (in the amount of 4,000 rubles) were not enough for the young girl to live a normal life. Therefore, she was forced to work part-time in karaoke bars.

At the age of 20, our heroine returned home and became a student at the local University of Culture and Arts. She studied at the department of pop-jazz vocals.

The beginning of creative activity

Alisa Kondratyeva (Vox) received a diploma of higher education. After that, she got a job at the NEP restaurant-cabaret. She received additional income from performances at corporate events and weddings.

The girl's first success came when she began collaborating with the Duhless club. Alisa improvised on stage, working in tandem with a DJ. The local public knew her as MC Lady Ali.

Soloist of the group "Leningrad"

Over time, our heroine got tired of performing in clubs and bars. She wanted to conquer the big stage. And so, in 2012, she had a great opportunity to get into Russian show business. Sergei Shnurov announced a casting for his legendary team. At that moment, Leningrad soloist Yulia Kogan went on maternity leave.

A large number of girls came to audition for Shnurov. As a result, the place of vocalist went to Alisa Vox. The group's first concert with her participation took place in September 2013 at Chaplin Hall. The people gathered in the hall highly appreciated her external and vocal abilities.

For the first year, Alisa, the soloist of Leningrad, called Shnur exclusively Sergei Vladimirovich. She could not raise her eyes once again, being next to him. Our heroine could not believe that she was working with such a famous and respected person. At the same time, on stage her embarrassment and excitement disappeared somewhere.

Personal life

Leningrad soloist Alisa Vox got married even before she began collaborating with Sergei Shnurov. Her chosen one was professional photographer Dmitry Burmistrov, who came to St. Petersburg from Rostov-on-Don.

They met at one of the club parties. A slender blonde with a pleasant voice immediately attracted Dmitry's attention. He did everything to win her heart. Soon the couple got married. On posters and her pages on social networks, the beauty signed herself as Alisa Vox-Burmistrova.

For several years, love and mutual understanding reigned in the relationship between the spouses. However, in the fall of 2015, rumors appeared about their separation. Allegedly, Alisa’s husband was constantly jealous of Sergei Shnurov.

The singer stopped putting her wedding ring on her finger. She also removed her husband’s last name on social networks. All joint photos with Dmitry Burmistrov also disappeared from her Instagram account.

In January 2016, the couple officially divorced. Our heroine immediately informed her subscribers on the social network about this. Now she is a free woman.

Solo career

At the end of March 2016, the Leningrad soloist informed followers on Instagram about her departure from the band. The singer decided to develop her solo career. She expressed gratitude to Sergei Shnurov for his support and fruitful cooperation, which lasted 3.5 years. Many fans of the Leningrad group will remember Alisa for her shocking behavior on the verge of a foul. The girl could go out and perform a striptease or hot dance on stage with one of the musicians. It was she who performed Shnur’s most powerful songs, which later became hits (“Fire and Ice”, “37th”, “Patriot” and “Exhibit”).

New soloist of the Leningrad group

Sergei Shnurov quickly found a vocalist to replace Alisa Vox. His choice fell on the young, attractive and ambitious singer Vasilisa Starshova.

The new soloist of “Leningrad” actively uses social networks. She posts candid photos and videos on her Instagram page. More than 45 thousand subscribers have already appreciated her magnificent figure and amazing sense of humor.

What is known about the new soloist of the Leningrad group? Vasilisa was born in 1994, on August 22. Its homeland is the city of Shlisselberg, located in the Leningrad region. From the age of 5 she studied piano. After school, I entered the vocal department at the College of Music. Rimsky-Korsakov (St. Petersburg). However, the girl did not graduate from this educational institution. Even in her first year, she realized that she did not want to sing with an operatic voice.

In 2011, Vasilisa moved to Moscow. A beautiful and talented girl became a member of the “Flashmob” team, formed during the casting of the 2nd season of the show “Factor A”. The guys performed in the capital's karaoke bars and nightclubs. In 2013, Starshova went to the New Wave competition. She managed to captivate the audience and the professional jury. Vasilisa successfully made it to the semi-finals, but was unable to win the competition.

The new vocalist of the Leningrad group was not officially married. She has no children. The heart of the young beauty is free. And while there is no worthy gentleman on the horizon, she plunges headlong into work.

Lineup changes

In March 2016, Shnur took another soloist into the group - the dark-skinned beauty Florida Chanturia. Little is known about her.

Born in March 1990. She is from St. Petersburg. Graduated from St. Petersburg State University of Culture and Arts (pop and jazz department). At various times she worked at the Gelsomino Cafe restaurant and performed as part of the MARMELAD party band.

Finally

Now you know where Alice Vox was born, studied and with whom she was in a relationship. The former soloist of “Leningrad” is not going to leave the stage. Thanks to her talent and perseverance, she will definitely achieve success in her creative activities. The names and surnames of the new vocalists who appeared in the team were announced in the article.